Biography

Arielle is a wedding photographer based in Grand Rapids, MI, and Chicago, known for capturing authentic, unscripted moments with a refined and timeless aesthetic. In 2012, she officially transitioned from freelance photography to begin her wedding business without any formal background in the wedding industry.  Since these early years, Arielle has grown into a style that is uniquely her own. There is a consistency in her portfolio that belies a proclivity toward naturalism and organic lines. Her storytelling approach pries open the authentic moments between a couple on their wedding day, and her directions focus clients towards genuine movements and ethereal moodiness. She’s recently been featured in acclaimed publications like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Modern Luxury Weddings Chicago. Arielle is a wedding photographer worth following, as her authentic passion for world travel infuses her portfolio with an elevated vitality and freshness. It makes us all want to get married all over again. Approaching each wedding with an attention to detail, soft-spoken directness, and narrative sensitivity that is both adroit and unobtrusive.

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  • Professional. Communicative. Personable. Globally published and an overall show-stopping photographer. I was enthusiastically hopeful when I requested for Arielle to be the photographer at our wedding after receiving a glowing referral from my florist. The day of she was punctual and ready to commit to all her time for us. She was polite and unassuming, never barged, pushed-in, was at all unpleasant, or seemed out of place. Her movement was natural and felt in tune with the day like she was a guest. There was never an awkward moment with her, as she possesses a positively friendly aura and vibe. Her unique eye for detail, her style, and the way she captures everyone’s candid emotions is incomparable with other copy-and-paste wedding photos seen countless times over again. Classic and timeless is her forte—the photos she takes will stand the test of time and age well.

    — Mette

  • As mother of the bride, I was honored to meet & interview Arielle. My 1st impression was her sincere compassion for her work. It wasn’t just me interviewing her, but her need to get to know her subjects & their personalities. I knew she was the one. To me, a good photographer uses great lighting, capture, composition, contrast, creativity & use of depth of field, Arielle has proven to be more than that. I could just say great work, but of course her talent goes beyond that - spectacular, unique & original. Arielle has captured the moments that played with my emotions. She has gifted me with memories that will fill my heart with love forever.

    — Evelyn

  • Arielle and Nathan were such a pleasure to work with. My wife found them on Instagram and at the time I have to admit I was just catching up with her on the significance of pictures as I didn’t understand the art of it. After going through all of Arielle’s and Nathan’s photos I fell in love with the way they took photos and how they looked. It just felt natural in a sense. They also have a true Midwestern work ethic. As an example, we went to a site in Chicago - the honeycomb which is a beautiful spot. In order to get the perfect picture Nathan took out all the chairs (there were 50+ chairs) that were in the honeycomb and put them back after we were done. This is small - but really shows the length they were willing to go to make sure that the picture was right. We couldn’t be more pleased with how the pictures turned out. Some of the pictures at the Rookery (Chicago building) were incredible and the way they were able to capture some of the minor nuances. They are an amazing team.

    — Masood

  • I was left absolutely speechless by the quality and sheer beauty of the photos we received from our wedding. She does not try to stage your entire day around the pictures; instead, she beautifully captures all of the little (and, of course, big) things as they happen. Reviewing each photo is like being transported back into those moments with all of my loved ones; you can practically hear, smell, and taste the things she captures! The documentary-type style of her photos is genuinely the best I have ever seen. Arielle is worth every. single. penny.

    — Adriana

  • My sister had worked with Arielle for her wedding and I knew she would be the first vendor I reached out to when it was my turn years later. Arielle is able to capture the little moments in such a beautiful and elegant way, without ever feeling intrusive or forced. The results feel both editorial and intimate.

    —Alysse & John

  • One of the best decisions we made for our wedding was hiring Arielle Teft Photography. Arielle and her partner, Nathan were incredible! The absolute best choice for our wedding in Traverse City in the summer. Arielle elevated the whole experience from rehearsal to wedding and reception. She was ahead of schedule every step of the way and made everyone at the ceremony feel so special and comfortable on our special day. Most importantly the end product could not be more perfect. Our families and friends love all the photos that Arielle and her partner took. My personal favorites were the candid photos she took throughout the ceremony. Our family calls those instant classics.

    — Natalie & Peter

  • Arielle exceeded our expectations with her unique editorial style and professionalism. Her artistic approach turned every photo into a beautiful piece of art, capturing the emotions and essence of our wedding day perfectly. Her attention to detail and storytelling ability is truly remarkable. We highly recommend Arielle to anyone seeking a wedding photographer. Thank you for the stunning images we will cherish forever.

    — Taylor & Aaron

  • Arielle was professional and meticulous in our pre-meeting - providing straightforward questions and directions to make sure she was able to be self-sufficient on our wedding day in capturing the images and style we were looking for. She has an elevated and artistic style and had no problem asking us to pause or adjust to make sure the pictures were just right. The online gallery for reviewing and sharing pictures, as well as the mailed thumb drive again made the process stress-free and streamlined. Truly a professional, a lovely person, and a fantastic photographer.

    — Sara & Ryan

  • Arielle has THE eye. She captures authentic emotion, every special moment, and sees each opportunity for an amazing photo. She did our engagement shoot the year before our wedding, and was so easy to communicate with from the moment we booked with her. Arielle is also so relaxed and professional, what every bride needs on their wedding day. She gives direction on poses while also letting you just be in the moment. Arielle was the best decision we made in all of our wedding planning. Everyone who sees our photos says they belong in a magazine. Photos are what you have to always look back on the best moments from your big day, and Arielle and Nathan captured them beautifully and timelessly.

    — Kaylie & Joel

  • Arielle and Nathan captured the sheer joy of our marriage in Ravello, Italy. The quality and style of Arielle’s photographs first stood out to me on Instagram. Her visionary work has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. She captures genuine moments as they naturally unfold. The results are artistic, ethereal, timeless. They captured it all on my wedding day, from the still moments to the fleeting first kiss and family embraces with attention to beauty, fashion, and detail—creating lasting visual memories for us to experience again in the future. Arielle and Nathan are pleasant to be around. They have a calm and friendly presence which my family and I are very fond of. They made it easy for us to express raw emotions on our wedding and never made the day feel artificial. In fact, I rarely noticed their swift movements—like air.

    — Hanna & Terrence

  • As the mother of the groom I feel compelled to comment on my son's wedding photographer, Arielle Teft. Arielle's artistry, skills, and attention to detail are second to none. After viewing the entire wedding album, my husband and I were touched by the emotion in every photograph. We ordered the leather bound album and we are so lucky to have such a high quality keepsake. Arielle truly has talent far beyond most wedding photographers.

    — Leslie

  • Arielle and Nathan were AMAZING! I could not recommend them enough. When looking for a wedding photographer, I knew that I wanted someone that had an editorial style. Additionally, we wanted a high level of candidness. Our photographs capture all that and more. From a personal perspective, Arielle and Nathan were great to be around the day of our wedding. Their presence was not overwhelming and they worked efficiently to get photographs so that we could still enjoy all aspects of our wedding day. I look forward to a lifetime of being able to enjoy our wedding photographs!

    — Ayanna & Jonathan

  • Arielle was so wonderful to work with. If you are looking for someone who is truly an artist Arielle is your girl. The photos from our wedding are stunning, and she truly captured the emotions and excitement of the day. On top of being totally satisfied with how the pictured came out Arielle was a dream to work with and made me feel comfortable throughout the day. I am not someone who loves being photographed or the center of attention and she picked up on this quickly, and has a very soft approach. My favorite pictures are the ones captured in the moment, and she got so many great ones.

    — Victoria & Diante

  • First, we’d like to share that we are not the type of people who typically will leave a review but we feel inclined to share our experience. After finding Arielle on Instagram, we instantly fell in love with her work. We wanted a photographer that was elegant & timeless and found that in Arielle’s work. We loved that she can capture the raw, un-posed beautiful moments during a wedding. During the planning process, she was consistently communicative, agile and punctual. They fit into our day so effortlessly and were so kind, courteous and professional. They made us feel at ease while taking our photos and captured so many beautiful moments. We tear up every time we look at our photos because they were able to capture the joy we felt on our wedding day.

    — Nancy & Ryan

  • Arielle was a recommendation by a bartender we met when visiting venues in the Grand Rapids area. At the time, we already had a photographer booked but eventually decided to make a change. Working with Arielle was effortless and easy. She provided excellent service and timely communication. Most importantly, she is a master at her craft. We loved to watch how she and her husband worked together as a team. It was easy to trust them both because it was clear they sincerely wanted to capture the best shot for us. There is no surprise her photos are stunning with this collaborative process. We also loved how it never felt like they were constantly in our faces taking photos. Because of that, it was easy to let go and be in the moment. When we got our photos back, I was tearing up with everything she captured.

    — Chelsea

  • I have only wonderful things to say about Arielle and Nathan and would highly recommend them to anyone. As I researched numerous photographers online, I was immediately drawn to the emotion that Arielle captured in her photographs and every single photo was simply beautiful. Everything seemed so natural and yet gorgeous and artistic at the same time. Also, since we were getting married on a beach and everything was going to be outdoors, we needed someone who was confident working with natural light from the photos on her website. She did our engagement photos as well, which we also took on the beach, and we loved them. The day of the wedding, both Arielle and Nathan were fabulous to work with, very professional, and I was also amazed at how quickly we got through the formal photos after the ceremony. Arielle's ability to get a great photo of everyone with only 1-2 shots was unbelievable. And finally, we were stunned, in the best way possible, when we got our photos back. We love them — the emotion, the lighting, the photos on the beach of the two of us just before sunset — every photo is beautiful. Her style is also incredibly unique, which is something we didn't see with other photographers when we were trying to choose a photographer.

    — Devin

  • Arielle and Nathan were a dream come true, like a DREAM (and such lovely people)! It was super important for us to work with a photographer who had more of an editorial, artistic lens who could capture extremely beautiful shots/moments. I came across Arielle's profile on Instagram and immediately knew she was for us (her eye is impeccable). She completely understood our vision and communicated consistently leading up to the wedding day. I just received the edited photos and I am in total and utter awe! She is so incredibly talented and I highly, HIGHLY recommend her!

    — Chanel & Sheldon

  • We are SO lucky to have worked with Arielle and Nathan! They were easy going, chill and really took the time to understand our personalities. I think these characteristics of theirs allowed them to really capture images that truly represent us as a couple. They are REALLY detail oriented and you can really see this in the pictures. The time they put into the details of every photo is amazing considering the quick turn around. Their photos definitely aren't the cheesy or "standard" wedding photos you get from other photographers. They are FAR better and more meaningful. Each picture really captures the moment and I can't compliment them enough.

    — Hien

  • If there were more the 5 stars available, Arielle would get them from me. My daughter and her wife chose Arielle for their engagement photos and then booked her for their wedding day. Arielle and her husband, Nathan are kind, caring, profession and incredibly creative. They compliment each other so well and help each other through the process. The artistic side of their photos is truly unmatched, not even close to “typical” wedding shots, although they will shoot the obligatory family/staged photos and do so in a beautiful way. I truly feel that their artistic side is what really sets them apart. They were prompt, efficient and truly a joy to work with.

    — Debi

  • I found Arielle's work on instagram and fell in love. Her eye and style was exactly was I had in mind when I pictured wedding photos. Matt and I had the pleasure of shooting with Arielle in NYC for our engagement shoot. Living here for 15+ years, Arielle captured Matt and I in the most new, authentic way on a beautifully gloomy day. Arielle and Nathan shot our wedding in Southwest Michigan on the Lake. They both are beyond professional, calm and made everyone feel so comfortable. It was the best decision we made to hire Arielle and Nathan - they felt like an extension of our friends and family. Arielle was patient, super communicative, collaborative and efficient. I am absolutely obsessed with our photos from her!

    — Natalie & Matt

  • Working with Arielle was a dream. I found her on Instagram and since I've been working as a model for the past 4 years, I was very picky and particular about the photographer I wanted for my wedding. I knew that I wanted a photographer that wouldn't just take well-staged family pictures but someone that could capture the emotions and mood of our wedding. When we first met her for the engagement photo shoot, we realized that we had picked the perfect photographer. The day of the wedding, Arielle and her husband were on time and started taking pictures right away. They got the best shots without being in the way of our guests or bothering anyone. When I now look at the pictures, I can feel my wedding day again. The two of them were able to capture our emotions and created truly artistic & beautiful wedding pictures.

    — Johanna

  • Arielle & Nathan were one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day. On the day of, it felt like two close friends (our two coolest friends, by the way) were following us around and taking our photos. They made everything feel so natural and calming, but we could tell the photos were going to be amazing. They were beyond our expectations! The photos are ART.

    — Kate

  • We booked Arielle for our destination wedding in Colorado and it was the best decision! I could have searched for a photographer in Colorado but I wanted the same feeling/style for both our engagement and wedding photos as well as the piece of mind of her being close to where I live had any problems arose (none because she was amazing!). Booking a wedding destination with her was incredibly easy and also fun knowing she was embarking on this adventure with us and seeing what we were seeing with fresh eyes as well. I cannot say enough good things without sounding like her other reviews.

    — Danielle

  • Arielle is extremely talented. You will be unable to find another photographer with her sharp eye and soothing demeanor. She will transform your wedding day into artwork. Arielle effortlessly captures moments that reveal the love you have for your significant other; she enhances your moodiness and emotion—giving each image clarity and force. She dissolves any nervousness that comes along with being photographed with the perfect amount of direction.

    — Nicole

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